Motivation To Move Forward
by gawilliams
Summary: A look at the group at the hospital while Beckett's in surgery in the aftermath of season 3 finale.
1. Chapter 1

_I've been thinking about this one for some time since seeing the season finale. I am considering leaving this as a one shot that leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but at the same time looks at the fallout of Beckett's shooting on the people closest to her. Depending on the response, I may do more chapters. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

The small group of people in the waiting room looked at the man who seemed to be solely focused on the doors leading back to the operating theater. All respected him. All loved him. But at the same time none of them knew what to do. One of their small family had been shot while honoring another fallen family member, and it seemed that the seams were falling apart from the bindings that held them all together. Every once in a while one would approach him, but he didn't say anything. Didn't move. Just sat there, eyes riveted to the doors that none could enter.

"What are we gonna do about this, man?" Ryan asked Esposito.

"I don't know, Bro," Esposito shook his head slowly. He looked at Castle worriedly. The man had done so much for all of them, and it hurt to see him so tore up. Yes it was because he was in love with Beckett, and Beckett was fighting for her life in the OR, but it looked like no matter what happened to Beckett, the fun loving man that had proven himself to be a true friend and partner would never be the same. "But for Beckett we need to make sure that he doesn't do anything crazy."

"That's _**not**_ good enough," a very agitated Martha said firmly as she interjected herself into the conversation.

"It's all that we can do, Martha," Esposito replied. He hated the fact that he was now essentially the one in charge of the team, but he was the senior detective of the group with Beckett in the condition she was in.

"NO," Martha said with a genuine fire in her eyes. She pointed to Castle. "That is not my son," she said to them. "My son hasn't been here since the sick son-of-a-bitch shot Kate. My son won't be here until the maniac responsible for this is found. If you don't help him, Richard will go after them himself. That is something that I cannot accept. I want my son back, gentlemen, and I expect the two of you to help him and keep him safe."

Esposito and Ryan looked at each other. They knew she was right, and that it was going to be up to them to make sure he stayed safe. Beckett would be seriously pissed if they didn't keep him safe, and Martha had enough juice to make their lives a living hell if anything happened to Castle. Before they could say anything the NYPD Police Commissioner strode into the waiting room. They snapped to, and Martha walked over to sit with Alexis, Lanie, and Jim Beckett.

"Any word, Detectives?" he asked gruffly. He was seriously pissed over the whole thing, and what he'd received in his office in box from the late Captain Montgomery had him enraged.

"She's still in surgery, Sir," Esposito replied. "We don't know anything yet."

"Come with me, Detectives," the Commissioner ordered and led them out of the room and into a private room down the hall. When the door closed he faced the two men. "As of right now the two of you are working for me. This is an under the radar assignment, and while you are ostensibly working at the 12th, you report directly to me for the duration."

"Sir?" they asked in unison, stunned at the order.

"Montgomery sent me a set of files that will be enough to hang the fuckers who have been behind all this, but I need you two to do the ground work and button it all up so these bastards get what they deserve," the Commissioner handed them the files. "This is your job now."

"What about Castle, Sir?" Ryan asked, and noticed Esposito nodding.

The Commissioner raised his brows. "What about him?" he asked. He knew that Castle had been invaluable to the 12th, and liked what the man added to the mix, but this was something way outside the norm.

"We need him on this, Sir," Esposito told him. "If he isn't involved, he will go on his own, and considering the contacts and money he has at his disposal, will likely wind up dead, or seriously hurt. Unless he's in, we're out."

The Commissioner looked at the two determined men. He could see that they were deadly serious. He liked that. He liked it a lot. That kind of attitude was going to be needed on this one. He nodded. "Bring him in on it when Beckett's status is known," he directed. He reached into his pocket and handed over a NYPD detectives badge. "Give him this. It was Montgomery's when he was just a detective. He wanted Castle to have it. As of now he's a detective when it comes to any other officers until this is finished. I'm counting on you to train him and keep him alive." With a final nod he left the room.

Esposito and Ryan looked at each other. This was not good, but it was too important to not be in on. They owed Beckett and Castle a Hell of a lot. They walked back to the waiting room and sat with the others. They would talk to Castle later.

Lanie noticed Javier and Ryan coming back in and gave them a questioning look. When they shook their heads, she turned back to Alexis who was focused on Castle.

"Are you okay?" she asked the very mature teenager.

"I'm worried about him," Alexis nodded towards her father. "I've never seen him so somber."

"That's what being in love and worried about the person does, Honey," Lanie replied.

"But what will happen to him if Kate dies?" Alexis whispered. Her dad had always been larger than life and fun loving. Now he was the complete opposite and she was afraid he may never be the same. She could tell her Grandmother was worried about the same thing. She had never seen her Grandmother so serious before.

"I don't know, Honey, but he won't be alone," Lanie replied, placing her arm over the young lady's shoulders.

Jim Beckett had been taking in the whole scene since they had all arrived. He was well aware of the close knit group that his Katie had around her, and now he was seeing it fully. His own mood was one of deep fear. He'd lost the love of his life years before, and he'd sunk himself into a bottle to escape. He'd been sober for years now, and his relationship with Katie was the one positive beacon that kept him sane. He did not want to sink back into the abyss again, but he was frightened that if he lost his daughter in such a senseless fashion, he wouldn't be able to control the dark impulses. He looked at Richard Castle and was deeply grateful that his daughter had such a friend. He chuckled at the memory of a few months before when he had scolded her for being a bit of a fool for having ever taken up with that doctor when the man who truly loved her was right there no matter what. What had convinced her that she knew he was right was when she didn't argue with him over it. He'd been glad when she had told him that she'd ended it with Josh. He went over to Castle.

"She does love you, you know," he told the intent man, not really expecting an answer. "And I know you love her. Don't let her slip through your fingers, Son. Life's too damn short to keep making the same mistakes with the one you're in love with." He was heartened when he saw the man nod. Almost imperceptibly, but he did nod. Jim settled back to wait with him.

Two interminable hours later a scrub clad Doctor entered the waiting area. He saw the group look up instantly and he made his way over to Jim Beckett who he had met just before taking the detective into surgery.

"It was a difficult procedure, Mr. Beckett, but we got the bullet, and barring any unforeseen complications Detective Beckett should be alright," he told the man, and noticed all of the group breathing a deep sigh of relief. "There is one thing. The bullet lodged close to her spinal column and there is some slight swelling, which is to be expected. We won't know what effect it has on her, though, until she's fully awake and we can check her out fully."

"Can we see her?" Jim asked, nodding his thanks for the information, but just deeply grateful that Katie was going to live.

"When we bring her to her room from recovery, but keep it to a minimum, though," the Doctor told him. He handed the man his card with pager and cell phone number on it. "Contact me if you have any questions, and I will be checking on her regularly, as well." He left the room.

Castle turned to face the group, and zeroed his attention on Esposito and Ryan. "_**Now**_ we can go get these bastards," he said in a tone that spoke of pain, longing, and determined resolve. No one doubted that he was totally focused on the end game. Both with regards to being with Kate, and also to solving this nightmare case once and for all.

"Let's get to work," Esposito said with a nod, and noticed Ryan nodding, too. Castle had once again given the group the proper motivation, and the right attitude. These fuckers were going down once and for all.

_A/N: One shot or more? I like this one, but could easily do more. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Gregg._


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm glad you all enjoyed the first chapter of this one. This one won't be as dramatic, but it does help set the scene for the remainder of the story. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Three men were sitting in Castle's study at his loft. No one else was in the loft, so it was just those three that were going to be privy to what was going on. After Castle had had a chance to go in and spend a few minutes with Beckett, who was still unconscious, he had asked them to go with him to his place so they could talk. The ride over had been silent. Both Esposito and Ryan knew that they had to let Castle in on the coming drama, but his coldly detached anger that was simmering just below the surface unnerved them. Martha had been right. This wasn't Castle. Or at least wasn't the man that they all looked at as Rick Castle. This was a man who wanted vengeance, and wasn't about to let anyone stand in his way.

"What did the Commissioner want?" Castle asked when he set a beer down in front of each of them.

"Before we get into that we need to ask you something," Esposito said, looking at Ryan to make sure he agreed. Ryan gave a short, curt nod of his head.

"Okay," Castle said, looking at both of his friends.

"When she wakes up are you going to tell her how you feel?" Esposito asked bluntly. "No bullshit, Castle. You may be our friend, and a damn good partner, but she's like our sister, Bro. You need to either tell her, or let this go once and for all and just be friends without all the baggage."

Castle closed his eyes briefly, letting the emotions wash over him. When he opened his eyes he met them head on. "I told her when she was shot, and I'll tell her again when she wakes up," he told them seriously.

"That's good enough for us," Ryan said, this time with Esposito nodding.

Esposito pulled out the files that the Commissioner had given them and laid them out on the desk. "The Captain sent these to the Commissioner before he bought it, and now we're working under the radar for the Commissioner to solve the case once and for all," he told Castle.

"I want in," Castle said firmly.

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other. Castle had a steel in his voice that neither had heard before, and the look in the man's eyes was slightly disturbing. Esposito sighed and pulled out the detective's badge.

"The Commissioner said to bring you in on this and to give you this, too," he said. "It was Montgomery's when he was a detective. Montgomery wanted you to have it."

Castle took the badge and turned it over in his hand. He didn't let himself show the emotions that were playing out in his mind. Montgomery had been a good man who got caught up in something inadvertently when he was a young cop. He could forgive the man, and he knew Beckett would in time. He would hold onto this badge and try and uphold the integrity that Montgomery had seen in him at some point.

"During this assignment, you're considered a detective like us, Castle," Esposito told him. "Before we get the investigation started, though, you're going to be trained by us. You've shown that you can be counted on to watch our backs, Bro, but this requires proper training. You're getting the crash course over the next few days."

"Alright," Castle nodded. He could deal with that, and knew that when things got back to normal it would come in handy.

"You're not going to like who this points to, Castle, though it's circumstantial," Ryan said, opening the main file and turning it to the man.

Castle skimmed the cover page quickly. His eyes grew cold, almost glacial in their intensity. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man was a friend! A damn good friend! He spent a moment flipping through some more information while he got his anger under control. Now was not the time to vent and say or do something that he may later regret. When he felt he could speak rationally, he looked up at the other two.

"When do we start?" he asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Ryan told him. "We've got the firing range and one of the small workout gyms reserved. Come by the precinct at 10. That way you can go see Beckett before we spend the day on your training."

For the next couple of hours the three of them went through the information and divided up how the investigation would proceed. Then they talked about the training. They all hated the tedious nature of the conversation, but they also knew that this had to be done right, no matter what. This was for the Captain, and also for Beckett. When Ryan and Esposito left Castle poured himself a stiff drink, downing it in one strong toss. He was angry at what he'd found out, and was trying not to rush over and kill his former friend. He called the hospital to check on Beckett, and finding nothing had changed, he decided to spend some time decompressing. He did what he always did when he needed to think. He sat down with his laptop and began writing. Rapid, frenetic, but productive. When Beckett woke up he wanted to have a first draft of his new _Nikki Heat_ novel finished for her to read. Maybe that would prove to her that he was serious. Before he knew it he was lost in the plot lines and characters of the world of Nikki Heat.

_A/N: Like I said I wanted this one to be more of a set up for the rest of the storyline, so this was a shorter one. I hope you enjoyed it. Gregg._


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's another chapter to this one. In this one we get to see Castle visiting Beckett, but then the training begins. I hope that you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Castle walked into the hospital room and saw Jim Beckett already there. He was glad that he was able to convince the hospital that the man should be allowed to be here whenever he wanted to be. Castle had made sure that no expense was spared, and knew that the best thoracic surgeon in the country was on his way to look over Kate's case. Another instance where he he was damn glad he was wealthy and could go to such lengths for his friends and loved ones.

He hadn't slept well at all the night before. His mind had been shifting back and forth between what had been revealed in the files, and his constant worry about Kate. The five hours of steady writing had not helped, but he had completed six chapters. In his mind he kept seeing the flash from the sniper scope and his effort to knock Kate out of the way failing. He'd woken in a sweaty mass of tangled sheets and had given up on sleep about four o'clock.

"Any change?" he asked, clearing his throat.

Jim looked up. "No," he shook his head. He stood up and walked over to Castle. "I'm going to get something to eat and let you have some time with her," he said as he patted the younger man on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Jim," Castle replied. "You know that you're always welcome at my place if you need a place to get some rest, or unwind."

"I know, Rick," Jim smiled gratefully. "Maybe tonight. I just can't leave her yet."

"I know the feeling," Castle murmured as he watched the older man walk down the hall to the elevator. Steeling himself, he turned and made his way to her bedside, doing his best to ignore all the medical equipment and tubes running in and out of her. The pale pallor was also very disconcerting and he had to struggle to keep the bile from rising into his throat. He sat down and took her hand in his, looking at her face intently.

"We're pretty sure we know who's behind this, Kate," he said quietly "The Commissioner has me, Esposito, and Ryan on the case. I don't want you to worry about a thing. You just get better. A lot of people depend on you. Especially your Dad. He's been here the whole time, you know."

For the next hour until Jim returned Castle just rambled. He told her about his place at the Hamptons. He talked about how he got the idea for the Derrick Storm novels, something he'd never told anyone. He chuckled as he told her some more stories about the fun he'd had raising Alexis. By the time the hour was up he figured he'd told her more about himself than he'd ever revealed to her outside of that she'd gleaned for herself.

"I can go out for a bit more if you'd like some more time alone with her," Jim offered when he saw the two of them together, Rick holding her hand like a lifeline.

Castle stood and turned to him. "Actually I need to get going," he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "I have to meet with Esposito and Ryan this morning."

Jim nodded. "I won't ask, but I will tell you to try and stay safe," he said with obvious concern. "She needs you."

Castle turned and gave Kate a light kiss on the forehead. It was probably the most public demonstration of his genuine feelings for her that he'd ever given. He walked over to Jim and shook the mans hand. "I need her, too," he said seriously. He pulled out his wallet and handed Jim his American Express Card. "Anything you or Kate needs, use this." He held up his hand when Jim began to protest. "I mean it. I don't want either of you having to worry about expenses. You have enough to worry about as it is. I've already added both of you to this card as signers on my account for the time being."

Jim sighed in defeat. He was seeing firsthand the Rick Castle charm, but also the mans iron resolve backed up by good logic. Kate had been right about him all along, though she had really missed the mark by not confronting and being honest about her feelings for the man.

"Alright," he conceded, making his own determination to be as sparing with such largesse as he could. He would not allow anyone to label him a mooch under any circumstances. When Castle nodded and then left, he walked over and took his place at the bedside seat and took his daughters hand in his. "I hope you finally manage to get your head on straight when it comes to him, Honey," he said to his still unconscious daughter.

Castle arrived at the Precinct and went right to Esposito and Ryan's desks. He noticed that Lieutenant Gibson was working out of Montgomery's office, which was not surprising since the man had been the deputy Precinct Commander. Castle wondered idly who would be taking over permanently, but that would come soon enough.

"Hey, Castle," Ryan said brightly. He'd been looking forward to this all morning. Everyone knew Castle had some skills, but this would allow them to gauge how those skills matched up against the needed skills for this mission.

"How's Beckett?" Esposito asked as he stood up and shut down the computer.

"The same," Castle told them. "Her dad's there with her, so we'll know if anything changes."

"So, you ready for this, Bro?" Esposito asked. He was going to be keeping a close eye on him to make sure that the man's anger, and emotions, didn't overwhelm him and put them all at risk. While it didn't necessarily apply in Castle and Beckett's case considering how well the two worked together, and the fact that Castle wasn't really a cop, there were some pretty valid reasons for _**not**_ allowing partners to be romantically involved.

"Definitely," Castle said firmly.

Esposito noticed the steel in the voice, but not the vengeful tone that had been there before. Good. They needed resolve, not a vigilante mentality.

"Alright, let's head down to the range and get you qualified with a handgun," he told them.

Five minutes later the three of them entered the empty firing range. Esposito and Ryan pulled out there issue pieces and their backups.

"Okay, Castle, you're going to be carrying two weapons," Esposito told him. "A primary and a backup. You have a preference for a primary?"

"9mm," Castle replied.

Ryan nodded and opened a case that he'd been carrying. He pulled out a 9mm Glock and one full clip. He set it down on the station in front of Castle.

"Okay, how about a backup?"

Castle looked at the smaller weapons in the case and picked one. "The .38," he told Ryan, who put the weapon down next to the Glock with a six round cylinder speed loader.

For the next hour Esposito and Ryan explained the details of the two weapons, including how to maintain them. In essence they gave him a streamlined version of the weapons course at the Academy. Castle listened intently, despite knowing a great deal of firearms himself. He prided himself on his interest in learning, and he would reread books and articles in the hope of picking up on things he may have missed the first time through, despite his phenomenal memory.

"Okay, Castle," Esposito said as they moved to the firing line. He handed our the earphones to each of them. "We know from Beckett you can shoot, so I'm going to give you specific targets to hit, one target, one shot. Got it?"

"Got it," Castle nodded, all serious and focused.

Esposito let the target slide back to the 15 yard marker. "Right elbow," Esposito ordered.

Esposito and Ryan about swallowed their tongues when they saw Castle, quick as lightening, snap the Glock up and fire smoothly, hitting the target dead on the target Esposito had ordered.

"You've definitely been holding out on us, Bro," Esposito said, looking at Castle with awestruck expression. He knew what Beckett had said a long time back, but this was impressive. He spent the next few minutes watching Castle bulls-eye the targets he ordered. "Alright, now for the back up piece," he directed.

Not surprisingly Castle did just as well with the .38. He was able to demonstrate that he was a marksman. Ordinarily he would be strutting and having some fun with this with his friends, but because of what all this was for he was a bit somber. He worked to keep his mind from wandering to thoughts of Kate, so the time at the range was a bit easier. Finally they had gotten to a good stopping point.

"Let's got get some lunch and then we can get to the gym," Esposito suggested. "We need to assess you on hand to hand and also begin going over basic field procedures."

"Sounds good," Castle said. "Lunch is on me, Guys."

_A/N: I left it off here as I want a separate chapter on the hand to hand stuff. I hope this was a good chapter for beginning the training, but also showing the side that's worried about Beckett. Till next time. Gregg._


	4. Chapter 4

_While the last chapter wasn't much, I hope that this one comes across better. I hope you all enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Castle was working hard on a new chapter to the _Nikki Heat_ draft he had began just recently. He was sitting across from a still sleeping Beckett. While he should be at home sleeping and getting ready for the next day of training, he had decided to spend a few hours here while Jim got some rest. Slowly, but surely, he was finding his emotional equilibrium, and while it was most definitely on the dark side still, it was balancing with his responsibilities.

"How you doing, Writer Boy?" Lanie asked as she came into the room. She'd stood at the door for a few minutes watching him tap away at the laptop. The sure, confident way he worked the keys impressed her, and that was saying a lot since she'd already been impressed for years with his novels.

Castle jumped slightly, but turned to his friend with a small smile. He shrugged. "Honestly?" he asked rhetorically. "I'm not really sure."

Lanie nodded and took a seat next to him. She glanced at the monitors and took in the readings with clinical detachment. Kate was doing well, but she still had a long way to go.

"Is that the new _Nikki Heat_ book?" she asked. She knew that sometimes he wrote just to pound out his emotions with no real interest in anyone seeing it. It made free writing serve a substantial non-literary purpose.

"Yeah," he said as she shut down the file and closed the lid on the laptop. "I never let anyone read my drafts before publication, but I decided to write this new one and have it for Beckett to read when she gets up. Maybe it will give her some comfort."

Lanie didn't respond. The man was so incredibly generous with his caring that sometimes it seemed like there was nothing left to give, but he would come up with something anyway. He was well aware that Beckett was a major fan of his novels, but he'd always made her wait until publication of the _Nikki Heat_ novels, but this would be a major offering for her.

"I think that'll mean more to her than anything," Lanie said finally.

"I've missed seeing her on my fansite," he admitted.

"God she was so embarrassed when you found out she was a member and was chatting on the site, too," Lanie chuckled.

"I got some good mileage out of that one," Castle admitted, a little wider smile on his lips now.

"Javi told me what's going on," Lanie told him. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

Castle worked not to let his inner demon loose, seeing as this was Lanie and she had asked a legitimate question. "It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not," he said firmly, a bit of the steel back in his voice. "This is for her, and nothing is going to stop me from giving her some real closure, and peace."

Lanie sighed. She figured that that was what he would say. Javi was pleased with what he had seen in the first day of training, but there was a long way to go.

"You need to get home and get some sleep, Castle," she told him. She leveled a glare when he looked to protest. "Don't even say it. You won't be doing our girl any good if you're so tired you get yourself killed going after these guys."

"She's right, Richard," Martha said from the door. She walked into the room and swept her gaze over Kate quickly, and then turned her attention on her son. "Go home and to bed, Richard. She won't be alone, and I know for a fact that you have another young lady who is very worried about her Father right now."

Castle flinched, knowing he'd not been the kind of father that Alexis deserved since this happened. He hung his head a little downcast. His mood had been going through twists and turns since the shooting, and he was not living up to what he genuinely believed were his responsibilities. Kate was a major priority in his life, and her case was extremely important to him, but his family was even more important. Alexis deserved better, and this darker mood of his was not helping her. He shut down the laptop and put it in his shoulder bag. He stood up and looked down on Beckett. He sighed, wishing that she would wake up, but knowing that there were good reasons for the medically induced coma.

"Call me if anything changes," he said to Lanie as he walked out of the room.

"So how are you doing, Dear?" Martha asked Lanie.

Lanie smiled. Martha may be over the top, but the woman was fiercely devoted to her friends, or those she considered her friends.

"Feeling pretty helpless right now," Lanie admitted. She saw the questioning look on Martha's face and explained. "I'm a doctor, Martha. Okay, an ME, but I am a doctor and here I sit not able to do anything for her. Javi and the Kevin are able to look for the son-of-a-bitch who did this, and even Castle is able to pour his frustrations out helping them, but all I can do is sit here. It's damn frustrating."

"Sometimes sitting by and just being there is all that a person can do, and it's enough," Martha said understandingly. "I remember when Richard was a young boy, maybe eight or nine, and he got really sick. It got bad enough that it developed into pneumonia. He was in bed and sleeping most of the time for most of two weeks before he got better. Outside of giving him his medicine and keeping him comfortable there wasn't a damn thing I could do. I felt a lot like you do now."

"How did you deal with it?" Lanie asked, enjoying a little peak into the closeness between Martha and Castle.

"Not well," Martha admitted. Then she smiled. "But then when he got better he did something that made it alright. He came up to me and gave me a hug and thanked me for being there with him while he was sick. It may not seem like the usual response an eight year old boy would give, but it was pure Richard. It showed me that just by being there for someone, you are doing something that helps them tremendously."

Lanie wondered if Kate knew just how lucky she was. Castle's devotion was a given. The man was crazy in love with her, but now there was proof positive that Castle's Mom was equally devoted to her. She had a feeling that Martha was here not to check on Castle, though it may be a nice side reason, but more to spend time watching over Kate.

"You're doing it now, aren't you?" Lanie asked, giving the older woman a knowing look.

Martha chuckled. "Just because it's not Richard's bed I'm sitting next to doesn't mean I'm not looking after my son, Dr. Parrish," she told the perceptive young woman. "The man who left a few minutes ago isn't my son, but someone I don't recognize. He won't be the man I know and care for so deeply unless this nightmare ends, and this incredible woman wakes up. I only hope that they will be ready to admit what they are to each other."

"Well now that that Doctor, Josh, is out of the picture," Lanie said with a look of distaste when she said Josh's name, "our girl just may be ready to face a bit of reality. I hope so. Watching Castle wander around like a whipped puppy whenever she dates someone is getting almost painful." She'd never approved of Kate seeing the Doctor, especially as it was essentially using the man as a distraction to keep from having to face her feelings for Castle.

"I guess it will be up to us to force the issue once and for all if they are still determined to act like adolescents," Martha said, looking at her new friend with a knowing look of mischief.

Lanie chuckled. "I'm up for that," she told Martha. She stood up. "I need to get on home. I'm sure Javi is wondering where I am. Do you need a ride?"

Martha waved her away. "I'm fine, Dear," she assured her. "I'm going to sit here for a while."

Lanie smiled. "Taking care of Castle, huh?" she asked.

"And Kate," Martha replied, total seriousness in her voice. She softened. "Thank you for being my son's friend. All of you, really. I don't think he's ever had such good friends, and it's good for him. It'll make Alexis going off to college much easier for him."

"We'll watch over him," Lanie assured her. "We may have to hog tie him to keep him from going to see her every weekend, but we'll get him through it."

Martha laughed out loud. "I'm sure you will," she said, smiling as the other woman left. She turned to Kate. "And as for you, young lady, you need to wake up. You have a lot of dear friends who want to see you, and your father is beside himself with worry. I also know for a fact that my son is waiting to talk with you about some important truths. But you just get better, Kate. We'll be here when you decide you're ready."

Martha settled back in the chair, took out a couple of scripts for plays she'd been approached about, and began reading, looking up at Kate every few minutes to make sure all was well. It may be a long night, but it was the least she could do for Kate and the people who had become her son's best friends.

_A/N: I wanted a chapter with Lanie and Martha in it, but include some info about Castle as well, so this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all the great responses to this story so far. Gregg._


End file.
